It wasn't surprising that Gaston saw me as his rival. After all, I'd been with Brooke for a whole decade, and everyone knew just how much of a lapdog I was for her.

I was an orphan who lived all alone in this world. I didn't care for emotions because I only wanted to work hard to earn as much money as I could. At the very least, I could then be financially free.

While on the way back to the dorms after my part-time job, I ran into a bunch of hooligans who tried to rob me. Just as I was feeling helpless and alone, Brooke suddenly made her appearance.

She grabbed my arm and we ran out of the place. She even blocked a glass beer bottle that one of the thugs picked up from the ground and tried to throw at my head.

As I watched blood trickle down Brooke's face, I realized that this was the first time I felt sorry for anyone.

Meanwhile, Brooke didn't seem to care. "What are you crying for? It's just a small cut."

She nonchalantly picked up her jacket that had fallen to the ground and threw it around her shoulders. The sun shone on her as she stood back up. It cast a warm halo around her. Her cold eyes that contrasted with her gentle looks were then immortalized in my head forever.

After this incident in which she saved my life, I willingly became her lapdog for the rest of the next seven years.

I always thought that I would be the person who would be with Brooke until the end. Brooke had a bad temper and was very picky about her partners.

She had had many admirers for the past few years, but many of them couldn't even last for more than half a year. Meanwhile, I had always been willingly by her side for all of seven years.

I was her personal secretary, her work colleague, and her obedient little lackey.

"What are you thinking about? I've been calling you for a while."

A familiar warmth enveloped me from the side as she whispered softly in my ear.

"Nothing. I was just thinking about that annoying CEO."

"Don't think about work anymore now that you're home. I've made you your favorite ribs and mashed potatoes."

I grinned widely at Daisy Meadows and held her face gently in my hands. Then, I kissed her on the lips.

"You're the best, wifey."

Daisy chuckled as she went back into the kitchen to serve the food.

I watched her bustling about in her teddy bear apron and suddenly smiled widely

Brooke belonged in the past. Daisy was now my lover and my family.

Where there were people, there was also bound to be drama. Even at the prestigious Riveria Group, gossip was inevitable and bountiful.

It seemed as if they'd somehow heard about Gaston telling me to resign from the company yesterday. Their eyes were filled with doubt, curiosity, and even contempt.

Just as I thought, Gaston was an annoying CEO indeed.

"Mr. Sommar, bring me some coffee."

My intercom sounded just then with just a cold, curt command from Brooke.

I made her usual cup of coffee with much familiarity and brought it into her office. I was also planning to report the day's schedule to her in the meantime.

Brooke looked at the black coffee before her and frowned slightly. She then glanced at me, but seeing that I didn't look the least bit shaken, she got even more frustrated than ever.

I knew what she meant, but I didn't want to acknowledge it.

Brooke had a weak stomach and often suffered from gastritis. I used to care for her health and often made her nutritious food, only to have to beg her to eat a few bites while keeping a smile on my face.

I would also often advise against her drinking harmful beverages like coffee that would upset her stomach. Although she never listened to me, I still wasn't able to stop myself from poking my nose into her business like that.

However, since the abortion a year ago, I gradually got rid of my bad habit of "nagging" her all of the time.

I went through the day's schedules with her in a professional manner. But, Brooke seemed to be out of it today.

"Ms. Rivers, do you have anything to add on to the schedule for today?"

"Did you talk to Gaston yesterday?"

Her sudden change in topic caught me completely off guard.

"Yes, I did."

"How did it go?"

"It was fine. Mr. Storm put in a lot of requests for the engagement party."

"What about you? What do you think about it?" Brooke asked.

"I will try my best to meet every request within the stipulated budget. If there are any discrepancies, I will also resolve them with Mr. Storm as soon as possible. But of course, if we're unable to find a solution for it, then I will report the situation to you."

"You sure know how to separate work from your life," she said. She was obviously trying to be sarcastic with me. "I heard that… Gaston told you to leave after the engagement party."

"He did bring it up, yes."

"What do you think about it?"

Brooke then picked up a pen and started twirling it in her hands while staring intensely at me.

This was a habit of hers. She would always start twirling pens if she got anxious. However, the look in her eyes felt more like that of a predator hunting its prey instead.

I smiled faintly and answered, "I'll think about it if the severance package is good enough."

Brooke then threw the pen onto her table and looked at me with an icy-cold stare. A disdainful look was in her eyes.

"Theros Sommar, why is money so important to you?"

I didn't let the smile on my face falter. "Of course, money is important. I need to survive, after all.

"Actually…"

Gaston suddenly barged in with a wide grin on his face and interrupted Brooke's sentence with, "Brooke, come with me to…"

"To do what?"

Brooke was unexceptionally sweet and gentle with her future fiancè. She didn't speak to him condescendingly or with sarcasm like she did with me.

"Do you want to come ring shopping with me? And then, we'll look at the outfits later."

"Sure!" Brooke answered in her gentle voice. Then, she glanced at me and said, "Mr. Sommar, you should come along too."

"I… sure."

I was frustrated. I still had a lot of work to do. Still, there was nothing I could do. I was just a lowly corporate employee under her, after all.

Gaston raised his eyebrow and glared at me with a challenging look on his face. Then, he put his arm around Brooke and happily walked out of the office.

She'd just reached the entrance when she suddenly turned around and commanded, "Also, throw away the coffee on the table. It's gotten cold."

The coffee was still quite hot, though.

…

It wasn't fun accompanying Brooke and Gaston as they went outfit hunting, especially more so with Gaston deliberately making things hard for me and with Brooke watching coldly from the sidelines. I felt like I was being roasted over an open fire.

Throughout the day, I was busy smoothing out her dress trains, polishing her shoes, tidying up her hair and makeup, and even pouring out drinks and holding her bag for her as she tried on dress after dress. I was probably even busier than a bee during spring.

"Theros, you really look like a butler," Brooke whispered into my ear as she mocked me in a cold voice.

"I'm just a regular salaried employee."

"A salaried employee?" Brooke burst out laughing and said, "More like so money-hungry you'd do anything you were told to do."

I frowned lightly. Since when had she started thinking of me as a greedy and money-hungry person who would do anything I was told for money?

Maybe it was since that time we collaborated with Woodland Group and met up with the seductive CEO, Cheryl Woods. Throughout our meeting over dinner, she wouldn't stop giving me all sorts of signals.

Despite Cheryl being very blatant with her flirty eyes, Brooke had still allowed her to get me super drunk before insisting that I send her back to her hotel room that night.

Brooke had simply smiled widely at me and said, "Theros, you're a smart guy. You'll figure out a way to escape."

Sure. I was smart—I'd seen through her plans from the very start, but I still let myself fall into her trap.

In her eyes, giving up on someone like me to secure her place in Riveria had to have been quite a deal.

I knew that the collaboration was very important to Brooke. I knew that she had been working overtime to perfect her proposal at that time. I also knew that she felt out of place in her own family, which was why she was so desperate to strengthen her footing in the household.

I knew about everything.

However, did I not mean a thing to her?

I'd drunk so much alcohol that night that my stomach had been in great pain, but I just grinned and bore with it.

I never texted her saying I'd gotten home safely that night because I'd fainted by the roadside and was later sent to the hospital by a kind stranger.

I'd requested a few days off, but she'd poked fun at me and even became sarcastic with her words.

I knew that she thought I was filthy, which was why she didn't want me anymore.

However, it was also that very incident that made me lose all hope in her. I gradually decided to marry Daisy instead.